A Little Bit of You and Me
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Avery, Heather
Date Posted: 14th November 2020
Characters: K'ran, Saidrene
Description: The future parents discuss baby names and what K'ran can do to help.
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Date: month 4, day 15 of Turn 10
Notes: Mentioned: Alina, J'ackt
Saidrene furrowed her brows. Just... a little... further.
Straining, until beads of sweat popped out on her forehead, she stretched her arm and fingers at full length, until a twinge in her shoulder made her quit.
"Ugh," she released a sigh and rocked back into her chair.
Scowling at the writing utensil on the floor, Saidrene kicked it across the floor in a fit of temper. The greenrider put her hand to her extremely round abdomen in a little sigh. Her eyes went back to the half-finished letter to Alina.
It felt good to be able to talk freely to her friend once again. Ever since Alina had come back to Barrier Lake with the baby blanket for Saidrene, they had been communicating via letter, when Alina was too busy to come in person. There was, however, one topic that they never discussed in their letters - J'ackt. For the most part, Saidrene was glad for it, because her lack of contact with the volatile bronzerider had made her life much more calm, and for all intents and purposes, she and K'ran had moved on as if the child was theirs, and theirs alone.
That thought brought her eyes to the list of baby names she'd been doodling onto a random slip of paper. She was within a fortnight of her due date, and figuring out a name for the baby was starting to weight more and more on her mind - as was the fact that she and K'ran were still living separately. What was that going to be like when the baby was here?
K'ran had begun a ritual of dining with Saidrene in the evenings bringing Saidrene meals in the evenings, partially so she didn't have to navigate to the Dining Cavern if she didn't want to, and partially because he enjoyed dining alone with her. Today he wasn't sure where she felt like dining and if she had cravings, so rather than try to surprise her and possibly get it wrong, he decided to have Rogueth just ask.
}:My rider wishes to know if yours wants a particular food, and if she would rather come to the hall or have him bring it,:{ Rogueth relayed to Ashareth.
}:My rider says she has lost her feet? I think that means she wants him to come here.:{ Ashareth said in a quizzical tone. }:She also says she wants something 'gooey, warm, crusty, and sugary' if that is helpful.:{
A quarter of a candlemark later, K'ran was knocking at Saidrene's door, carrying a tray full of two bowls of food and a few jam-filled pastries. "Saidrene? Can I come in?" he asked.
"K'ran, it's been months, you don't have to ask to come in." Saidrene said with a smile and a slight tone of exasperation as she waved him in.
"Just making sure you haven't changed your mind about wanting to see me."
He set down the tray and said, "I brought food and drink, and also pastries which are soft and warm and full of jam and sugar. Is this as requested?"
Saidrene sighed at the sight of the bounty. "Has anyone ever told you, you're perfect?"
"No one but Rogueth. Possibly my parents, when I was a small child," he said with a small laugh. "How are you and Ashareth doing?"
"I was writing a letter and doodling some possible baby names...." She nodded her chin toward the corner. "My pencil ended up over there. Ashareth offered to retrieve it but I assured her that her giant head wouldn't fit in the door."
"Well, I can solve one of those problems for you..." He walked to the corner, picked up the pencil, and brought it back. To the weyrcouch, he said, "I fixed it, lady Ashareth."
"What names were you thinking?" he asked.
"Well, for a girl I was thinking Saikera or Kaisene, and then for a boy Kaidran or Soran. At least, those are my top choices for the moment." Saidrene began eating one of the pastries. "What do you think?"
"You really are putting thought into it," he said, marveling a little as he picked up one of the bowls of rivergrain mix and started in on it. "I really like Saikera for a girl, do you have hopes either way?"
Saidrene shook her head. "Not really, somedays I think I want a girl, but then others a boy. Do you have any name preferences?"
He thought about it, tracing his finger along the table to spell things out. "We could try Saiheir for a boy. Khesai could go either way?"
"I like those," she said, adding them to the list, and secretly happy that K'ran had been thinking about names.
"I'm trying not to hope too hard one way or another for a girl or a boy. I have to admit I'm feeling a little impatient about finding out. Not as much as you, I'm sure."
"I am ready," she admitted. "I'm also ready to have my normal body back."
"Is there anything I can be doing to make it easier?"
Saidrene thought about it. "You could start staying the nights? It's lonely here in the dark." There wasn't much that K'ran could do for her physically, but it was nice just to have another presence in the weyr, even if he was just sleeping beside her.
He'd expected something like 'help with Ashareth's care', so this surprised him. He shifted where he was sitting so he could reach over and hold her hand. He'd stayed a few times, but not frequently. "I didn't realize you were so lonely or needed that," he said honestly.
"I didn't have a chance to really make any friends in my new Wing, because...." she gestured at her round abdomen. "And now I'm too far along to even help out in the dragon infirmary."
"It's not easy to feel like you're not contributing, is it," he said. "And few friends came on over from Dolphin Cove?"
"None, really," she said. It wasn't so much that Saidrene felt like she was contributing, she just missed laughter and conversations.
"I'm sorry, that's difficult." And he didn't want to touch what had happened with Saidrene and Alina.
"Would you like to try a night in my weyr? I do have my own bathing pool, Weyrsecond's privilege. Or will moving be too much work on you?"
"A bathing pool sounds amazing." Her eyes lit. It would also be nice to get out of her weyr for the evening.
"Then after we finish eating - because no point in letting this go cold - I'll be happy to bring over anything you want to spend the night."
Last updated on the November 22nd 2020